Sade was formed in 1982, when members of Latin soul band Pride β Sade Adu, (real name Helen Folasade Adu - born 16 January 1959 in Ibadan, Nigeria) Stuart Matthewman and Paul Spencer Denman β together with Paul Cook formed a splinter group and began to write their own material. Sade made their debut in December 1982 at Ronnie Scott's Club in London, England, in support of Pride. Later, in 1983, Andrew Hale joined Sade. In 1984 Paul Cook left the band.
Sade Adu, the band's singer, is the daughter of a Nigerian father and an English mother. After her mother returned to England, Sade grew up on the North End of London. Developing a good singing voice in her teens, Sade worked part-time jobs in and outside of the music business. She listened to Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Al Green, Aretha Franklin, and Billie Holliday. Sade studied fashion design at St. Martinβs School of Art in London while also doing some modeling on the side.
Around 1980, Adu started singing harmony with a Latin funk group called Arriva. One of the more popular numbers that the group would perform was a Sade original co-written with bandmember Ray St. John, βSmooth Operator,β that would later become Sadeβs first stateside hit. The following year Adu joined the eight-piece funk band Pride as a background singer. The band included future Sade band members guitarist/saxophonist Stuart Matthewman (a key player in β90s urban soul singer Maxwellβs success) and bassist Paul Denman. The concept of the group was that there could shoot-offs. In essence, a few members within the main group Pride formed mini-groups that would be the opening act. Pride did a lot of shows around London, stirring up record company interest. Initially, the labels wanted to only sign Adu, while the group members wanted a deal for the whole band. After a year, the other band members told Adu, Matthewman, and Denman to go ahead and sign a deal. Adding keyboardist Andrew Hale, the group signed to the U.K. division of Epic Records.
In May 1983, Sade performed at Danceteria Club in New York, NY, United States. It was the first US Sade show. They received more attention from the media and record companies and separated finally. On 18 October 1983 Sade Adu signed with Epic Records. The rest of the band signed in 1984. All Sade albums were released through this label.
Their debut album, Diamond Life (with overall production by Robin Millar), went Top Ten in the U.K. in late 1984. January 1985 saw the album released on CBSβ Portrait label and by spring it went platinum off the strength of the Top Ten singles βSmooth Operatorβ and βHang on to Your Love.β The second album, Promise (November 1985), featured βNever As Good As the First Timeβ and arguably her signature song, βThe Sweetest Taboo,β which stayed on the U.S. pop charts for six months. Sade was so popular that some radio stations reinstated the β70s practice of playing album tracks, adding βIs It a Crimeβ and βTar Babyβ to their play lists. In 1986, Sade won a Grammy for Best New Artist.
Sadeβs third album was 1988βs Stronger Than Pride and featured their first number one soul single βParadise,β βNothing Can Come Between Us,β and βKeep Looking.β A new Sade album didnβt appear for four years. 1992βs Love Deluxe continued the unbroken streak of multi-platinum Sade albums, spinning off the hits βNo Ordinary Love,β βFeel No Pain,β and βPearls.β While the albumβs producer Mike Pela, Matthewman, Denman, and Hale have gone on to other projects, the new millennium did spark a new scene for Sade. She issued Lovers Rock in fall 2000 and incoporated more mainstream elements than ever before. Debut single βBy Your Sideβ was also a hit among radio and adult-contemporary listerners. The following summer, Sade embarked on their first tour in more than a decade, selling out countless dates across America. In early 2002, Sade celebrated their success of the tour by releasing their first ever live album and DVD, Lovers Live.
Sade made a great contribution to development of modern music. They dismantled many of the old music business ways and quite promptly became a fully functioning autonomous unit with a firm grip on every aspect of the recording process.
Sade is first and foremost a live act. Sade Adu said in one of her interviews: "When we play I know that the people love the music. I can feel it." Throughout their history, Sade have always attracted a diverse, multi-racial audience who are drawn by the band's open-minded approach to music. "And that's the best thing we've achieved."
Soldier of Love, Sade's first official studio album since the multi-platinum release of Lovers Rock in 2000, was released on 8th February, 2010.
Discography:
Studioalbums:
1984 - Diamond Life
1985 - Promise
1988 - Stronger Than Pride
1992 - Love Deluxe
2000 - Lovers Rock
2010 - Soldier of Love
Livealbums:
2002 - Lovers Live
2012 - Bring Me Home - Live 2011
Compilations:
1994 - The Best Of Sade
2011 - The Ultimate Collection
Tar Baby
Sade Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Something she could not believe
How could her girl be
So naive
Tar baby, tar baby told
The secret she conceived
Could turn the wind into a song
How could I have doubted?
Honey it's with me that you belong
Tar baby, tar baby
I love you so
(I love you)
Like a brand new blade
You cut into my life
Cut through two decades (decades)
Like a hot coal on ice (baby, baby, baby, baby, babe)
Tar baby, my tar baby
It maybe, was meant to be
When I look at you
I can't believe my eyes
And with your magic
I think you just might charm the birds
Out of the skies
Tar baby, tar baby, tar baby
Came good out of grief
A golden thread inside of the web
That I got caught in
Oh, it's a lover's revenge, but out of the pain
Come the best things
You cut into my life
You cut into my life
(Baby, baby, baby, baby, baby, don't you know that?)
You cut into my life (I love you)
You cut into my life
La la la la la ooh
You can turn the wind into a song
La la la la la baby baby baby
It's with me you belong
The lyrics to Sade's song Tar Baby are full of emotional depth and metaphorical meaning. The song seems to tell the story of a woman who is loved by her grandmother but is perceived as naive and has made a mistake that the grandmother cannot believe. The title "Tar Baby" is derived from an African-American folk tale about a doll made of tar, which represents a trap. The grandmother seems to think that her granddaughter has fallen into a trap and is going down the wrong path. However, the woman has found love, represented by the "tar baby" who has shared a secret with her.
Sade's lyrics seem to convey the power of love to overcome obstacles and healing pain. The song refers to how the woman's love is like a sharp blade that cut through two decades of pain like hot coal on ice. The lyrics also suggest that the woman's love has transformed her life, leading to a golden thread inside the web that she was caught in. The words are full of gratitude and wonder for this love, represented by the magical ability to charm the birds out of the skies with the Tar Baby's magic.
Overall, Sade's song is a testament to the power of love to transform our lives and help heal our pain. The metaphors and allusions used in the lyrics give the song a rich depth of meaning.
Line by Line Meaning
Grandma came to see
Grandma visited and saw something unexpected
Something she could not believe
Grandma saw something that was hard to believe
How could her girl be
Grandma was surprised that her daughter could be this way
So naive
Grandma thought her daughter was too inexperienced
Tar baby, tar baby told
Referring to a character from African American folklore, someone or something that causes problems when you interact with it. In the song, it's referring to a person who revealed a secret
The secret she conceived
The person revealed a secret that they had come up with
Oh, that big old smile of yours
Addressing the person, saying they have a warm and inviting smile
Could turn the wind into a song
Saying that the person can make something difficult seem easy and enjoyable
How could I have doubted?
The artist is now regretful for doubting the person
Honey it's with me that you belong
Expressing love and commitment to the person
Tar baby, tar baby
Referring again to the character from African American folklore
I love you so
The artist expresses their love for the person
Like a brand new blade
Comparing the person to a sharp, effective tool
You cut into my life
The person has made a significant impact on the singer's life
Cut through two decades (decades)
Saying that the person's impact was so strong that it spanned two decades
Like a hot coal on ice (baby, baby, baby, baby, babe)
Another comparison to the person being a powerful force in the artist's life, with the juxtaposition of hot and cold
Tar baby, my tar baby
Repeating the phrase from earlier, referring endearingly to the person
It maybe, was meant to be
The singer believes that their connection with the person was meant to happen
When I look at you
The singer admires the person
I can't believe my eyes
The artist is amazed by the person's presence
And with your magic
The artist attributes some sort of special quality or ability to the person
I think you just might charm the birds
Making a hyperbolic statement about the power of the person
Out of the skies
Continuing the hyperbolic statement
Tar baby, tar baby, tar baby
Repeating the phrase from earlier
Came good out of grief
The connection with the person blossomed despite some sort of earlier pain or difficulty
A golden thread inside of the web
Metaphor referring to something positive that was found within a complex or difficult situation
That I got caught in
Referring to the earlier pain or difficulty
Oh, it's a lover's revenge, but out of the pain
Reference to the idea that even after a heartbreak or betrayal, something good can come out of it
Come the best things
Continuation of the earlier idea
You cut into my life (I love you)
Repeating the idea from earlier of the person having a significant impact on the singer's life
La la la la la ooh
Vocalization
You can turn the wind into a song
Repeating previous ideas about the person's ability to make difficult situations better
La la la la la baby baby baby
Vocalization
It's with me you belong
Repeating the idea of love and commitment to the person
Lyrics Β© Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC
Written by: Helen Adu, Stuart Matthewman
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
and
The lyrics to Sade's song Tar Baby are full of emotional depth and metaphorical meaning. The song seems to tell the story of a woman who is loved by her grandmother but is perceived as naive and has made a mistake that the grandmother cannot believe. The title "Tar Baby" is derived from an African-American folk tale about a doll made of tar, which represents a trap. The grandmother seems to think that her granddaughter has fallen into a trap and is going down the wrong path. However, the woman has found love, represented by the "tar baby" who has shared a secret with her.
Sade's lyrics seem to convey the power of love to overcome obstacles and healing pain. The song refers to how the woman's love is like a sharp blade that cut through two decades of pain like hot coal on ice. The lyrics also suggest that the woman's love has transformed her life, leading to a golden thread inside the web that she was caught in. The words are full of gratitude and wonder for this love, represented by the magical ability to charm the birds out of the skies with the Tar Baby's magic.
Overall, Sade's song is a testament to the power of love to transform our lives and help heal our pain. The metaphors and allusions used in the lyrics give the song a rich depth of meaning.
@Skiploaderpro
Grandma came to see
Something she could not believe
How could her girl be
So naive
Tar baby, tar baby
Told the secret she conceived
Oh, that big old smile of yours
Could turn the wind into a song
How could I have doubted
Honey it's with me that you belong
Tar baby, tar baby
I love you so
(I love you)
Like a brand new blade
You cut into my life
Cut through two decades
Like a hot coal on ice
Tar baby, my tar baby
It maybe, was meant to be
When I look at you
I can't believe my eyes
And with your magic
I think you just might charm the birds out of the skies
Tar baby, tar baby, tar baby
Came good out of grief
A golden thread inside of the web
That I got caught in
Oh, it's a lover's revenge, but out of the pain
Come the best things you see
You cut into my life
You cut into my life (baby baby baby baby don't you know that)
You cut into my life (I love you)
You cut into my life
La la la la la ooh
You can turn the wind into a song
La la la la la baby baby baby
It's with me you belong
@slimetime850
(According to google)
Grandma came to see
Something she could not believe
How could her girl be
So naive
Tar baby, tar baby
Told the secret she conceived
Oh, that big old smile of yours
Could turn the wind into a song
How could I have doubted
Honey it's with me that you belong
Tar baby, tar baby
I love you so
(I love you)
Like a brand new blade
You cut into my life
Cut through two decades
Like a hot coal on ice
Tar baby, my tar baby
It maybe, was meant to be
When I look at you
I can't believe my eyes
And with your magic
I think you just might charm the birds out of the skies
Tar baby, tar baby, tar baby
Came good out of grief
A golden thread inside of the web
That I got caught in
Oh, it's a lover's revenge, but out of the pain
Come the best things you see
You cut into my life
You cut into my life (baby baby baby baby don't you know that)
You cut into my life (I love you)
You cut into my life
La la la la la ooh
You can turn the wind into a song
La la la la la baby baby baby
It's with me you belong
---
Mac did a good job too eh?
@mememan9061
I love both the vaporwave version and the original
@melokix
The vaporwave version was majestic as fuck
@vicentevalderrama9740
Macintosh Plus
@HMAPODACA
Vaporwave version doesnβt even come close to the original!!!!
@seizercelestials
Yes
@andy5178
@@HMAPODACA This is just a mediocre pop song, Macintosh Plusβ version is far ahead in terms of emotional impact.
@SadisticDeathBass
FUUUUUUCK MAN. Macintosh plus made me realise how much I LOVED SADE!
@user-ts5ml4xi6o
me too
@NighaT1152
Aecus Language